Connections, Context & Content, Part 2: The current state of mobile

May 07

JonathanMobile, PR, Ryerson , , , No Comments

The Current State of Mobile

To fully appreciate the importance of mobile in the global communications landscape, three recent statistics are highly illuminating. There are over 4.1 billion mobile phones currently in use globally. By comparison, there are approximately 1 billion personal computers in use globally. Equally impressive is that 74% of all electronic messages are now sent through a mobile device. This is a massive increase over last year’s 59% of all global electronic messages.

Though Canada lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to mobile phone penetration, some 72% of Canadians have a mobile phone (with numbers even higher in urban centres) and the total number of mobile phones in use is greater than the number of conventional land-lines.  While Canada has a long way to go when compared to many European and Asian nations where mobile phone penetration is typically near or even exceeding 100%, impressive year over year growth in mobile penetration and increasing feature use shows that Canadians are mobilizing in ever-growing numbers.

In particular, Canadians have embraced text messaging (SMS) with over 77 million SMS sent daily according to CWTA.ca. Mobile internet and application use is also on the rise. The launch of Apple’s iPhone in Canada ushered in new levels of awareness around the potential of the mobile internet and early signs show it to be addictive upon discovery. Harris Decima’s study of Canadian attitudes towards mobile usage shows that adults who browse the mobile internet do so, on average, four times per day.

Encouragingly for the mobile industry, Canadians are wanting even more out of their phones. They are looking to sophisticated handsets (often referred to as ‘Smartphones’) as their devices of choice. According to a study by research firm TNS, “The increase in the breadth and leading-edge nature of demands appears to have occurred relatively quickly, in direct response to the well-publicized capabilities and lifestyle aspirations conveyed by the iPhone and similar devices.” The outcome of this consumer groundswell is the emergence of an audience equipped with media creation and consumption devices that are defining how they interact with each other and with the world around them.

First to capitalize on this shift, from a professional communications point of view, has been the marketing and advertising industry. Ever since consumers have been sending text messages there have been marketers looking for ways to reach this audience and get them to ‘buy-in’ to whatever is on offer. The real breakthrough moment for mobile in North America was text message voting being included in the popular television program American Idol, says Brady Murphy, founder and managing partner of Toronto-based mobile marketing firm Vortex Mobile.  “In 2005, there were over 40 million text message votes for the season finale.  This number surprised a lot of people and really opened marketers eyes to the fact that mobile was a viable channel to engage consumers…provided you can offer them something of value, something that they’re interested in,” adds Mr. Murphy.

Today, the majority of mobile marketing programs still include some sort of text messaging element. It’s by far the most widely used mobile feature and, as a result, will reach the widest consumer audience.  The marketing and advertising community has also embraced more advanced forms of mobile communication. Many brands are launching mobile-optimized internet sites. There is a growing revenue stream for mobile advertising on publisher sites and portals such as Yahoo! and Microsoft’s MSN. The mobile application environment is punching above its weight in terms of awareness due to Apple’s iPhone and App Store and every major manufacturer is launching a similar storefront to sell downloadable applications to consumers.  So where does the public relations community fit in?

One view is that the lines between marketing and public relations are blurring. Mary Sachs, U.S. Chair and Worldwide Director of Marketing Communications at Hill & Knowlton says that corporate marketing leaders are recognizing the link between brand and reputation. Discussing the modern, digitally savvy consumer, Ms. Sachs says, “These consumers and audiences can drive and talk about your reputation. They are actually in control of it, because they can shape what people think of it. That means they also impact brand. That’s the link. So this is another area where PR as a discipline can really support the brand-and where other disciplines aren’t as well positioned. Put simply: Marketers aren’t used to dealing with these audiences that inform reputation and brand-but PR sure is.” In this view, public relations practitioners need to start using more conventional ‘controlled’ media tactics in order to properly shepherd an organization’s reputation.

A second view would be that a channel like mobile offers opportunities for increasing the effectiveness of traditional public relations practices.  Public relations is not so much being re-defined by emerging technologies and changes in consumer behaviour as being empowered with more tools to achieve its objectives.  Jennifer Wasley, a senior consultant at Porter Novelli in Toronto seems to support this latter perspective when she says that, “Every touch point with your brand must be consistent. Mobile gives us another opportunity to communicate with stakeholders because, at this point, you need to be available ‘on demand’ wherever and whenever consumers may want to talk with you. If you’re not communicating consistently, consumers will call your brand out on it. This applies day to day but becomes even more critical when you consider your brand’s reputation.“

This article is not the place to argue for one view or the other. Both have merit and how new technology and communication channels are used will likely depend on the organization, agency or individual practitioner.  Regardless, it is important for public relations practitioners to understand mobile as both a technology and content platform and the implications their business.

Up Next: Discussing mobile as a technology platform and its implications for PR.

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Connections, Context & Content, Part 1: Setting The Stage

May 06

JonathanMobile, PR, Ryerson , , , , 1 Comment

“Always On. Always With. Always Personal”.  These three short phrases are often cited as characteristics that differentiate the mobile platform from other media channels. A common-sense evaluation of these statements would certainly back this up.  A quick visual survey of any group of consumers would show mobile phones powered up, close at hand and ‘owned’ by a single individual. Underlying these statements, however, are broader issues of how consumers interact with their environment and peers and how they consume information.

What the three ‘always’ statements are really referring to are connectivity, context and content. Mobile phones offer consumers connectivity, whether through voice, messaging or the internet, to their friends, family, peers and the world at large. Since the mobile phone is an essential accessory for most consumers it needs to be thought of in context with what that consumer is currently doing and where they find themselves physically located. While some refer to the ‘personal’ in relation to device choice or how it is accessorized, a deeper reading points to what the consumer does with the device – what they send and receive, what features they use or what information they consume.

A recent opinion piece from MediaPost offered this by way of analysis: “The technology altered the nature of communication, in that case turning email from memo-writing into a real-time thing.  Thanks to the mobile Internet, we also expect to have access to the sum total of the collected knowledge and wisdom of mankind in our pockets at all times.” What is said about email is equally true for other mobile communication features such as text and picture messaging, mobile applications and direct response tools such as QR codes. While a rapidly growing marketing and advertising ecosystem has blossomed around the mobile device, the public relations industry, at least in Canada, has been slow to adapt and integrate mobile into its tactical toolkit.

Putting Mobile in Context

Public relations, as laid out by the Canadian Public Relations Society, is the management function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an organization or individual with the public interest, and plans and executes a program of action to earn public understanding, acceptance and support.  This broad definition includes many practice areas such as government, investor, media and community relations, and array of strategic approaches and tactical executions.  However, as digital technologies and emerging media such as social media and mobile become more deeply embedded in consumer behaviour, the pressure on public relations practitioners to understand and use these tools increases. Valerie Christopherson, managing director of Global Reach Communications, says, “Mobile marketing does not replace tried-and-true PR activities, such as media relations, event marketing and trade shows. Rather, mobile augments and strengthens all of these outreach vehicles.”

If the use of the term ‘marketing’ by Ms. Christopher ruffles feathers among public relations veterans, it’s worth taking the point of view that her intent was to suggest how mobile can be an effective tool in generating message awareness, acceptance and action. In short, communicating to persuade. However, even that represents a narrow view of mobile’s potential. For the public relations practitioner, mobile needs to be understood as both a technology and a media or communications platform. The technology and communication implications make a strong argument for mobile as a public relations tactic and one that will be increasingly important for measuring public attitudes, driving public understanding and support and creating favourable attitudes among an organization’s stakeholders.

Next we’ll take a look at the mobile landscape and start the discussion of mobile’s role for public relations.

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Connections, Context & Content: A series on PR & Mobile

May 04

JonathanMobile, PR, Ryerson , , , No Comments

Over the next while, I will be posting excerpts from a paper I completed for the final course in Ryerson University’s certificate in public relations.  The focus of the paper is the intersection of mobile and public relations.

While mobile as a marketing channel and consumer communications device receives a great deal of coverage, I noticed there was very little information about how mobile can influence and be used in the practice of PR. Certainly some of what is written about mobile marketing can be applied to PR activities, but the lack of dedicated coverage on the subject seems like a missed(missing) opportunity.

Here’s the abstract (yeah, it was an academic paper, Chicago Style and all):

The mobile device has brought with it significant changes in how consumers interact with each other and the world around them. Over 70% of Canadians have a mobile device and the increasing sophistication of these devices is creating new levels of connectivity and contextual relevance and new methods of content consumption. It has also created an emerging media channel for professional communicators.

This article explores how mobile, as both a technology and content platform, provides new opportunities to engage stakeholders and earn understanding, acceptance and support for an organization’s policies and activities.

Mobile messaging, the mobile internet and mobile applications will be examined as new tactics for the PR toolbox and how they impact practice areas such as community and media relations, the measurement of public attitudes and crisis communications.

A few admin notes:

  • Most of the sources cited are digital, some are treeware. What I can link to, I will. But in cases where I can’t, I’ll make every effort to provide proper citations.
  • As part of the research process, I interviewed David Jones (VP, Digital at Hill & Knowlton Canada), Jennifer Wasley (Senior Consultant at Porter Novelli Canada) and Brady Murphy (Managing Partner at Vortex Mobile). Their contributions and insight are immensely appreciated.
  • My goal is to, over time, post the entire paper. But I’ll reserve the right to edit where appropriate or necessary to keep it digitally digestible.

These excerpts reflect my initial thinking on the subject and the paper was meant as a survey of the opportunities mobile can provide to public relations. It is by no means exhaustive and I will continue to evolve my thinking on the subject.

Please comment and critique. It’s the best way for us to move forward on this subject together.

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